Gomortega
Encyclopedia
Gomortega keule is a tree native to Chile
. It is the sole species of the genus Gomortega and, according to the APG II system
of 2003 (unchanged from the APG system
of 1998), of the monotypic
family Gomortegaceae, assigned to the order Laurales
in the clade magnoliids.
The plant grows only in a very narrow habitat range in coastal central Chile. The species is endangered of extinction due to overharvesting, clearing the forests where it is found for agriculture and silviculture.
Gomortega keule produces a yellow edible sweet fruit about 34–45 mm (1.3–1.8 ) in diameter, harvested for making a kind of marmalade
.
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
. It is the sole species of the genus Gomortega and, according to the APG II system
APG II system
The APG II system of plant classification is the second, now obsolete, version of a modern, mostly molecular-based, system of plant taxonomy that was published in April 2003 by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group. It was a revision of the first APG system, published in 1998, and was superseded in 2009...
of 2003 (unchanged from the APG system
APG system
The APG system of plant classification is the first, now obsolete, version of a modern, mostly molecular-based, system of plant taxonomy that was published in 1998 by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group. It was superseded in 2003 by a revision, the APG II system, and then in 2009 by a further...
of 1998), of the monotypic
Monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group with only one biological type. The term's usage differs slightly between botany and zoology. The term monotypic has a separate use in conservation biology, monotypic habitat, regarding species habitat conversion eliminating biodiversity and...
family Gomortegaceae, assigned to the order Laurales
Laurales
The Laurales are an order of flowering plants. They are magnoliids, related to the Magnoliales.The order includes about 2500-2800 species from 85-90 genera, which comprise seven families of trees and shrubs. Most of the species are tropical and subtropical, though a few genera reach the temperate...
in the clade magnoliids.
The plant grows only in a very narrow habitat range in coastal central Chile. The species is endangered of extinction due to overharvesting, clearing the forests where it is found for agriculture and silviculture.
Gomortega keule produces a yellow edible sweet fruit about 34–45 mm (1.3–1.8 ) in diameter, harvested for making a kind of marmalade
Marmalade
Marmalade is a fruit preserve made from the juice and peel of citrus fruits, boiled with sugar and water. The benchmark citrus fruit for marmalade production in Britain is the "Seville orange" from Spain, Citrus aurantium var...
.
The species
- Gomortega keule in Encyclopedia of the Chilean Flora
- Information on Gomortega keule (in Spanish) Listed as Endangered (EN A1cd v2.3)
- Pictures and habitat map of Gomortega keule (in Spanish)
- Project developed in Chile on Gomortega keule (in Spanish)
- http://www.lanacion.cl/prontus_noticias/site/artic/20060517/pags/20060517135246.html (in Spanish)
The family
- Gomortegaceae in L. Watson and M.J. Dallwitz (1992 onwards). The families of flowering plants: descriptions, illustrations, identification, information retrieval. Version: 27 April 2006. http://delta-intkey.com.
- e-floras
- NCBI Taxonomy Browser
- links at CSDL, Texas